Réseau Pharmaceutique Œcuménique (EPN)

3 Identify content and functional requirements

Now that it has been established what the site is going to be about and who it is for, it is time to pinpoint what it will contain. The aim of this part of the information architecture process is to gather the pieces for creating the structure and organization of the site.

There are two key questions:

• What pieces of content does the site need?
• What sorts of functionality will be required?

In order to harness all the ideas about how the site will work, create a list of the content and functional requirements. Then reach a consensus on how this content will be grouped and labelled. A side effect of this process is to create a content list or inventory, which is the basis for the site structure.

3.1 Group and label content

When it is possible to decide on the final groupings and names, use them as the basis for defining the major sections of the site and the names of each section. This is the basis for the site structure.

3.2 Design document: Content and functional requirements

Create a new chapter in the design document called ‘Content and Functional Requirements’. Include a summary of the content inventory. Add a section about how the content is grouped and named. Add the list of functional requirements with a summary. The content inventory should be included as an appendix to the design document. Remember to publish these results so that everyone can see them.